


Burn My Way Back Home

by stonestars



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Amnesty, Exploring Aubrey's powers, F/F, Gen, and the flamebright pendant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-13 17:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15369387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stonestars/pseuds/stonestars
Summary: Aubrey finds something unexpected among the junk in the Cryptonomica which leads to much, much more unexpected discoveries.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's my first Amnesty fic y'all!! I hope you guys enjoy, I've got some fun things planned for this~

Aubrey Little is sitting in the lobby of the Amnesty Lodge, curled up in a large lounge chair with a book balanced on her lap when Dani comes up behind her, peeking around the side of the chair. 

“Say, Aubrey--”

Aubrey lets out a tiny scream as Dani startles her, drawing the attention of a few of the other people in the lobby. She flushes a little, waving them off, and turns to Dani. “You scared the living shit out of me,” she says, “what’s up?”

Dani smiles. “Whoops,” she says, not at all apologetically. “Weren’t you supposed to help Ned--”

“ _ I was supposed to help Ned clear out the back room at the Cryptonomica _ ,” Aubrey interrupts, her eyes going wide. 

Dani laughs a little. “You forgot?”

Aubrey groans. “I promised him. That isn’t to say I  _ want _ to help, but Duck is gonna kill me if I leave him alone with Ned for that long.” 

Dani shakes her head slowly, amused. “Hurry, then. I’ll watch Dr. Harris Bonkers for you, don’t worry about it.” She smiles. “If you find anything cool, bring it back.”

“I will,” Aubrey says, handing her book to Dani as she grabs her vest from where it was hanging over the arm of her chair and shrugs it on. “See you for dinner?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Dani replies, her smile deepening. 

Aubrey grins widely and waves, hurrying out the door of the Amnesty Lodge.

* * *

 

Duck is already there by the time Aubrey arrives at the Cryptonomica, a little breathless. He shoves a garbage bag in her direction. “You’re late.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she says, setting the bag down. Empty cans clank around inside of it. “I’m sorry.”

Ned appears out of the back room. “Is that Aubrey?”

“Yeah, she finally decided to join us,” Duck says. “She can join you in the back room, I’m done with all that dust and cobwebs.”

Aubrey frowns at him. “I said I was sorry,” she says, but makes her way towards the back room all the same. There’s display cases everywhere, full of stuff Aubrey can barely make out in the dim light. Ned gestures for her to follow him. 

“Most of this stuff I have to go through myself,” he says, “but there is a few things I can have you do.” He stops in front of a cardboard box, in which Aubrey can vaguely see boxes of ammo and a few pieces of jewelry. “Carry this over there,” he says, pointing to a corner of the room with a small desk in it. “Put it on the desk. I’ll go through it later.”

Aubrey sighs, but bends down and picks the box up all the same. “Gotcha,” she says, hoisting the box up. It’s heavier than she expects, the contents shifting around a little as she almost drops it. She looks over at Ned. “Where’d you get all this junk?” she asks, crossing the room towards the desk. 

“Oh, here and there,” he says. “You know how it goes.”

“Y’know, I really  _ don’t _ ,” Aubrey says, but she smiles a little as she sets the box down on the desk. “I mean, there’s some really cool junk--” she freezes, her eyes catching a glint of red in the bottom of the cardboard box. 

“It’s not junk!” Ned calls back, oblivious to the expression on Aubrey’s face.

She doesn’t reply, ever so slowly reaching into the box, moving stuff around a little until her fingers close on the necklace’s silver chain.

She lifts it out of the box, the other jewelry shifting as it comes loose from the bottom and dangles from her hand. The brightness of the red pendant takes on a new life, tones of orange glowing in the middle as the small amount of sunlight coming through a window catches it just right. 

“... Ned?” Aubrey asks, her voice low as she slowly says his name.

“Yeah? Did you find a dead rat or something? Those--”

“Where’d you get this?” Her eyes don’t leave the pendant as she turns to face him, the silver chain clutched tightly in her hands.

He turns, sees the pendant, and pales a little. “Uh,” he says. “Well… I got it on-- on Ebay!!”

Aubrey doesn’t even register the fact that he’s clearly lying. She slips the pendant over her head. It hangs low, now, but not quite as low as it did when her mother had put it around her neck in the middle of the night, all those years ago. The metal feels cool against her skin for only a moment. 

Ned crosses the room towards her. “Now, I asked you to help out, I never said you could just take--”

Aubrey holds a hand out to stop him from coming any closer. He seems to realize that pushing her is a bad idea and freezes, staring at the pendant around her neck. “This…” Aubrey says, slowly lowering her hand. “Belonged to my mother. She was giving it to me when… when it was  _ stolen _ from us.”

Ned laughs nervously. “Uh… you can have it,” he says rapidly. “I didn’t know it was stolen, really…”

Aubrey’s hand closes around the necklace. She looks down at it, and then up at Ned. A weak smile crosses her face. “Thanks, Ned,” she says. “For getting it back to me. I think I’m done helping out for today.”

Ned casts one last glance at the necklace. He remembers it, they had stolen it from a large house in the middle of the night among other valuables. He’d kept it all these years because it seemed too nice to sell. He bites his lip. He had no idea it belonged to Aubrey, of all people. “... yeah, sure, go ahead. I’ll see you later.” 

Aubrey nods, slowly walking out of the Cryptonomica, her hand still tightly grasped around the pendant.

* * *

 

As she approaches the Amnesty Lodge, Aubrey finally lets go of the necklace around her neck. It’s a relatively long walk across town, but she barely registered the time passing until she nearly tripped over the sign for the lodge.

She stares down at it, a strange feeling of homesickness overcoming her as she remembers the night her mother tried to give it to her.  _ “I knew I would be giving it to my daughter on… on a very important night, to remind her that she is, and always will be, loved.” _

She wipes at her eyes a little, tucking the pendant into her shirt and pushing open the doors to the lobby of the Amnesty Lodge. She hasn’t thought about home in a long time. 

“You’re back early,” Dani says, coming across the room, the book Aubrey had been reading earlier tucked under her arm along with a sketchbook. She smiles. “Were they already done by the time you got there?”

Aubrey shrugs. “Something like that,” she says, trying to shake the feeling that she’s getting from the pendant. It’s pulling at her, filling her with a feeling of sad longing, a homesickness that she hasn’t felt in a long time. 

Dani picks up on something being wrong, her eyebrows furrowing a little. “Are you okay, Aubrey?”

Aubrey nods. “Yeah, yeah I’m-- I’m fine,” she says. She does her best to smile. “Let’s get some food, yeah?”

* * *

 

That night, Dani knocks on the door of Mama’s study. It’s late, but Mama is still up, working on this or that. Dani knows not to disturb Mama while she's working, and she hesitates in the soft glow of the light leaking out from under Mama's door.  Still, Aubrey had worried her earlier. She'd acted weird through dinner, her smile less than full and her eyes less than present. It was a little scary. 

Dani knocks on the door and slowly pushes it open. “Mama?” she asks, causing Mama to look up from her desk. 

“Dani?” Mama says, frowning a little at the look on Dani’s face. “Come in, sit down,” Mama says, gesturing to the chairs across from her. “Well then, what’s wrong? You wouldn’t be comin’ into my office with that look on your face this late if it wasn’t important.”

Dani looks down. “It-- it’s Aubrey,” she says. “I’m worried about her. She went off to Ned’s today and when she came back she was… upset, I think. I asked her what was up and she wouldn’t tell me anything, really…” she sighs. “That girl is worse at hiding how she’s feeling than she pretends to be. But if she’s feeling down…”

“It might affect her magic, and her ability to protect herself and the boys,” Mama finishes, nodding a little. “Any idea what was wrong?”

“She wouldn’t tell me,” Dani says, shaking her head a little. “She just seemed so... off. So worried about something. She was there, talking to me at dinner, but it was like she... wasn't."

Mama frowns. “I guess we should pay ol’ Ned a visit, then,” she says.


	2. Chapter 2

Ned is behind the counter at the Cryptonomica when Dani and Mama come in the next morning, the bell above the door chiming merrily. His smile falls away when he sees the looks on their faces, and he takes a small step back, greeting them with a “I didn’t steal that thing, I swear.”  

Dani and Mama exchange looks. “Didn’t steal what thing, Ned?” Mama asks, raising an eyebrow at him.

“The-- the necklace that Aubrey said was hers. That’s what you’re here about, right? The one she said was stolen from her house.”

“Yes,” Dani says quickly, taking a step towards the counter. “Tell us about it.”

At the same time, Mama’s eyes widen a little. “The Flambright pendant,” she says, so softly that neither Dani nor Ned hear her. 

“It was-- it was this big red stone set in silver,” Ned says. “I’d been holding onto it for a while, that’s all. I got it off-- off Ebay.” 

“We don’t care where you got it,” Dani says. “Aubrey’s acting weird.”

“She was acting damn weird when she found it,” Ned says. “I don’t know what got into that girl. That necklace must’ve meant a lot to her.”

Mama steps forward. “The Flamebright pendant,” she says, louder. “Aubrey told me about it. A family heirloom that was stolen… and you had it all along, Ned Chicane.” 

Ned looks sheepish for a second. “I didn’t steal it,” he insists. “Anyway, I don't know much. I figure if anyone could talk to Aubrey about what’s up with her it’d be you,” he says, gesturing to Dani. 

Dani flushes a little. “And why’s that?"

“She likes you. Whether it’s romance or friendship or whatever you two have, it means somethin’ to her.” His shoulders drop, just a little. “Look, I feel real bad about it. You should talk to her. If there’s anything I can do for her, just let me know.”

“Sure, Ned,” Mama says. She gestures for Dani to follow her. Dani frowns a little, looking between them before following Mama with a sigh.

* * *

 

“Ned’s right, you know,” Mama says as she fires up the truck and pulls out of the parking spot at the Cryptonomica. “I could ask Aubrey about it, but she’d be more likely to talk to you.”

Dani sits back in her seat. “I already asked her about it,” she says, “She didn’t tell me anything.”

“So ask her again,” Mama says. She turns sharply, her gaze fixed on the road. “You’re right, you know. Aubrey’s emotions do tend to affect her powers, even if she doesn’t realize it. I worry she’ll burn out if she doesn’t talk to someone.”

“... I know,” Dani says softly. “I just… don’t want to screw things up with her.”

Mama laughs. “Aw, Dani. You couldn’t screw things up with that girl even if you tried.”

Dani tucks her hair behind her ear. “Yeah?” she asks softly. “Then why am I so scared to?”

Mama’s face softens a little. “You like her,” she says. “Aubrey means a lot to you.” She looks away. “You don’t want to get hurt.”

“Mama…”

“You lost a lot, Dani,” Mama says. “Learn from it, but don’t let it make you hide from everything.”

Dani looks over at Mama, a sad smile crossing her face. “Mama, you know that... the Amnesty Lodge is my home now. But Aubrey… she makes it feel more like home than ever before. I… I lost my home once before, Mama, I don’t want to lose it again.”

Mama just puts a hand on Dani’s knee and smiles. “Like I said,” she says, “you can’t screw it up with that girl. She’ll understand, if you just be honest with her. Now… will you at least talk to her?”

Dani looks out the window at the passing trees for a long moment. The silence stretches on as they continue on their way back to the lodge. Dani watches Mama for a while before sighing softly. “Yes,” she says, “I’ll talk to Aubrey.”

* * *

 

After dinner with Dani, Aubrey retreats to her room, changing quickly before flopping down on the bed and burying her face in the pillows. She sighs deeply into a pillow.

Dr. Harris Bonkers nudges her shoulder with her nose, making her look up and roll over so that she’s facing him. She smiles sadly at her companion. “What am I gonna  _ do _ ,” she whispers. She pulls the necklace out of her shirt. “This makes me want to go home…”

She gives him a few scratches. He nudges into her hand. “You’re right,” she says. “We promised we wouldn’t go back until we had made it big. It’s just…” she stares at the pendant, letting it catch the light. “I haven’t felt this… this sad longing for home in a really long time.” She tucks the pendant back under her shirt and picks up Dr. Harris Bonkers, putting him on her chest. He sniffs around, his face tickling her cheek. 

She smiles, petting him gently. “You always know just what to say,” she says, putting him on the pillow next to her. “Goodnight, Dr. Bonkers.”  

* * *

 

Aubrey is still asleep when Dani knocks on her door the next morning. Her necklace has come out from where it was tucked into her shirt during the night, and she hurriedly tucks it back away as she sits up. “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Dani answers. “I’ve got some food for Dr. Bonkers and for us.”

Aubrey gets up and opens the door, still in her pajamas. Dani smiles as she holds up the tray she’s carrying. “I was hoping we could talk,” she says, stepping past Aubrey and setting the tray down on the bed. “Is that okay?”

“Y--yeah,” Aubrey says, “sure.” She closes the door, turning to Dani, who is feeding Dr. Harris Bonkers a piece of lettuce. “Is something the matter?”

Dani looks away, her hair falling in front of her face. “I was worried about you,” she says softly. “You were acting kind of… off, yesterday.”

Aubrey hesitates, coming to sit down on the bed near Dani. “Oh,” she says. “I…” 

Dr. Bonkers hops across the bed towards her, putting his feet up on her leg. She rubs his head. 

“I guess…” Aubrey says. “I found something, at Ned’s.” She plays with the chain of the necklace, the pendant still tucked safely inside her shirt. “It made me think of home.”

Dani watches her carefully. “I… do you want to talk about it?”

Aubrey smiles sadly. “I just hadn’t felt homesick like that in a long time,” she says, “I didn’t expect it.” She shakes her head. “I’m fine, really, this necklace is just messing with my head.”

“It was important to you?”

“To my mother,” Aubrey says. “She… tried to keep it safe for me. For years. She told me that she bit a doctor when he tried to take it off, when she was having me,” she continues with a smile at the story. “I promised myself I wasn’t going to go home until I’d made it big.” She shakes her head a little. “Not even for this,” she finishes, pulling the necklace out of her shirt so that it catches the sunlight coming in through the window. 

Dani’s eyes catch the crystal and, for just a moment, she feels like everything freezes. It pulls at her, in a way that nothing has pulled at her in a long time. She wants it, she  _ needs _ it. She feels her lips draw back a little, her hand itching to take off her ring and reveal her sharp-- 

And then Aubrey is close to her, suddenly, much closer than she was before. The necklace is tucked back into her shirt. “Dani? Dani, what’s wrong?” Aubrey waves a hand tentatively in front of Dani’s face. “Are you okay?” 

Dani runs a hand through her hair. “Aubrey…” she says carefully. “Where did you get that crystal?”  

Aubrey frowns a little. “It’s a family heirloom.”

“Yes but… where did it  _ come  _ from?”

Aubrey shrugs. “I don’t know, to be honest. Why?”

Dani stares at where the silver chain disappears into Aubrey’s shirt. “Nothing…” she says. “The way it caught the light just… maybe keep that out of sight, Aubrey.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” Dani says. “But I wanted it. I wanted it bad.”

Aubrey frowns. She lifts the chain a bit. “Is it okay if I take it out?” she asks. 

Dani nods. “I should be fine, it just caught me off guard.”

Aubrey pulls it out and holds it up to the light, watching as orange and red light refracts throughout the room. “Are you okay?” she asks, her gaze turning to Dani.

Dani reaches out, nodding slowly as she takes the pendant carefully in her hands. She stares at the crystal, an overwhelming sense of longing filling her to the brim. “It’s a beautiful pendant,” she says, tucking it back into Aubrey’s shirt. “Keep it safe, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Aubrey says. She puts her hand on top of Dani’s. “Yeah,” she repeats, softly.


End file.
